How much should you tip your movers

 

How much to tip

We know that this is a question that a lot of people out there are asking. The simple answer to this question is whatever you feel appropriate. You by no means have to tip your movers but if you do they will certainly appreciate it.  If you do decide to tip your movers a general rule of thumb is to tip them 5% to 20% of the bill.  A lot of people prefer to simply give them a flat rate tip and this is totally fine also.  Having been a mover for more than 10 years, I would say that the average tip for a days work is $40.

When to tip

The answer to this is pretty simple. If you feel that your movers have worked hard, taken care of your items and  have been polite and respectful then it is definitely time to reward them with a tip. People tend to tip a little more when their movers have gone above and beyond what is typically asked of them.  This may include moving the same piece of furniture around multiple times without complaints, helping with extra items that they were not supposed to move or having to move items up a crazy amount of stairs.

When not to tip

Not all movers deserve a tip at the end of a move as unfortunately  we are all only to aware of.  If you feel that your movers haven’t listened to your requests, haven’t taken proper measures to protect your furniture, have been rude or have had bad communication throughout the move do not feel the need to tip them. If they ask you why you didn’t tip (which no mover ever should) calmly tell them your reasons why and hopefully it will help to make them better in the future.

What else to do for your movers.

As well as tipping there are a few other things that you can to to keep your movers happy throughout the day.  We are also fully aware that moving is already expensive and not everyone can afford to tip so taking our advice on what else to do for your movers can be a great alternative. Moving is an extremely physical job so it’s always good to make sure you have plenty of refreshments on hand, which will also hopefully help to speed them up.  Keeping your movers well feed will also help to keep them happy so feel free to buy them lunch if you think they deserve it.  Speaking from experience I know that movers really appreciate when customers are organized.  With this in mind, make sure you are fully packed, everything is well labeled and that you give them clear instructions and then step back and let them work, believe me sometimes this will make them as happy as a tip.

Do you add the tip to the bill or leave cash

It is perfectly acceptable to either add the tip to the final moving bill or simply just leave it in cash for the movers. My personal advice is to give the movers their tip in cash as opposed to adding it to the final bill.  The reason for this is because if it gets added to the final bill there is a chance the movers will get taxed up to 40% on it. As being a mover isn’t typically a high paying job getting taxed on their tips can really affect their take home pay.

Who do you give the tip to

Typically the tip is given to the crew leader and then he in turn will divide it up among the rest of the crew.  It is also perfectly acceptable to personally hand each crew member their tip. If your move has taken multiple days and there has been different movers on your move on different days it will be easier and fairer to simply hand it to the crew leader and he should divide the tip up equally based on the number of hours that each crew member was on the job.